Three Minutes to Midnight
by raspberriesandrum
Summary: Harry watched the clock tick down the minutes to his birthday and felt the familiar tingle of excitement rising in the pit of his stomach, this year would be where it all began for him. Challenge Response.


**Three Minutes to Midnight**

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

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The Room of Requirement had formed itself into a larger version of the War Room back at Headquarters, complete with weapons, chalkboards, scorch marks and debris from the recent battle and, incongruously, a fair approximation of a muggle playpen.

Tracey groaned quietly as she stirred in her chair her fingers falling to the wand holster at her hip as she blinked her green-grey eyes open. Her head throbbed at the sudden stab of light to her retinas but after a few blinks they adjusted enough that she could see. Sprawled out in front of the playpen filled with spelled-sleeping children was Astoria Malfoy one side of her curly blonde hair matted with blood.

Tracey stumbled out of her chair. Her arms and legs felt like jelly and it was hard to walk at all much less in a straight line. She dropped to her knees, wincing as they hit the cobblestoned floor and sent tingling pins and needles up the backs of her thighs. A quick check revealed that Astoria was alive and Tracey breathed a sigh of relief.

Fumbling at her belt Tracey managed to get the potion she was looking for out of its pouch and dribble a few drops on her friend's head. The gash that ran from eyebrow to ear began to close over on its own and Tracey hauled herself to her feet to check the playpen.

"Two, three, five—" she muttered to herself counting sleeping heads.

They weren't missing any of the children, thank Hera, but she couldn't say the same for the adults. Besides her and Astoria, Luna was stirring from under a pile of fallen books. There was no one else. Only the living would have been affected by the spell after all.

Tracey closed her eyes. So many lost. They needed to end this war, for good this time.

"You injured Scamander?" she called out her voice hoarse.

"I'm fine thank you, Tracey, and you can call me Luna you know," answered Luna, her usual dreamy tones weary, "Rolf?"

"It's just you, me, Tori and the kids," Tracey said.

"No one else made it?" asked Luna in a small, resigned voice.

Tracey shook her head. She watched as Luna's misty grey eyes became outright watery as the odd young woman blinked back tears.

"How is Astoria?" she asked.

"Tori? She got winged by a slasher. I patched her up though so she'll be coming around soon. The kids are fine."

"Good."

Luna got to her feet with more grace than Tracey had managed and with a wave of her wand the time and date revealed themselves in smoky silver lettering.

"Sticklebats," she cursed mildly.

"A year or so off," spat Tracey equally annoyed.

"Did we make it?" came a slurred voice.

Tracey glanced over her shoulder to where Astoria was sitting up and rubbing at the former wound on her temple which was now little more than a thin red line and would fade to nothing in the next day or so.

"Depends," sighed Tracey, moving to help her friend to her feet and into a chair.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Astoria sharply as she took her seat, her blue eyes losing some of their glassiness.

"Well we've travelled through time," Luna said, "But we three and the children are the only ones left alive, and we're about a year too far forward. It's Halloween."

"_That_ Halloween? Really?"

"Well, for another three and a half minutes," Luna said with a vague gesture at the silvery figures hanging in the air over the table.

"Alright, we need a plan," said Tracey pacing, she was feeling steadier with every minute that passed.

"We have to stop Sirius Black," said Luna, "And kidnap Harry from the Dursleys."

"What about the blood wards?" asked Astoria sharply, "We don't want to put him in unnecessary danger."

"Albus, James, and Lily will anchor the blood wards, they are closer relatives than the Dursleys anyway."

"We need aliases and a place to go to ground," said Tracey.

"We have the tents for now," said Astoria dismissively, "We can settle somewhere more permanently later."

"We can't leave this room without aliases though, if the Ministry picks up on us—"

"We know Tracey, we did work at the Ministry you know," said Astoria rolling her eyes.

"No fighting," said Luna sternly, wagging a finger at her two companions, "Tracey, are you amenable to taking the Potter children?"

"Yep, Morgana knows I spend all my free time babysitting them anyway. That puts Scor and the Weasley brats under Tori's name, and you with your two and Lupin."

Astoria nodded briskly in agreement, well aware that her husband was probably rolling in his grave at her easy consent to raise his son alongside a pair of Granger-Weasleys. If he wanted to protest he should have done the Slytherin thing and survived, she thought to herself swallowing around the lump in her throat that always appeared when she thought of Draco.

"I have the documentation ready here," she said, clearing her throat and pulling a sheaf of parchment out from the sleeve of her robes.

Without prompting the Room of Requirement provided the three women quills and ink, and they copied the forms sat down to hastily write themselves out new identities.

"You're sure the Ministry won't be able to tell it's forged?" asked Tracey for what had to be the hundredth time.

"I'm positive," Astoria answered.

"Only fools are positive," snorted Tracey.

"Are you sure?" asked Luna innocently.

"I'm—not falling for that."

That earned two forced chuckles from the blondes before they bent their heads to their paperwork again.

"Alright, are we ready?" asked Astoria once the scratch of quills subsided.

Wordlessly Luna and Tracey handed over their illegal documentation and Astoria rifled through it putting things in order and making sure there were no glaring errors.

She snorted when she read the name at the top of Luna's sheet but waved her wand over the stack muttering under her breath until it disappeared with a soft sucking sound.

"Now that that's done, I think Tracey should go after Black and Sca—Luna, you should go get Harry," Astoria said, "I'll take the kids to that campsite they used for the world cup, how long did Granger say that sleep spell would hold?"

"Until tomorrow morning," Luna said, doing some quick mental math.

"Good, at least that's one less thing to worry about," said Astoria, "Does everyone know what they're doing?"

"Yes ma'am," said Tracey irreverently.

Astoria shot her long-time friend a scowl, "That's yes my Lady to you, Davis."

Tracey waved her off impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah. Portkeys, Tori, c'mon, let's get going!"

It took a bit of doing to organize a set of Portkeys for the night but once that was done one by one each of the survivors of the third war against Voldemort was whisked away to her tasks.

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**AN: **This is for Lady's 'What Harry Potter is Really About Challenge' on HPCF.

Hi. Hope you don't mind but I'm going to skate over most of the events of "That Night" and jump straight into the deep end that we like to call Long-Term Consequences next chapter. Fully admit to having no idea what I'm doing with this. Should be fun, right?

Please review and let me know what you think! Ooh and prompts, and plot suggestions are both welcomed and encouraged!


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